No Hot Water or Heating? Safe Boiler Troubleshooting Guide
If your gas boiler is not working and you have no hot water or heating, there are a few basic checks tenants should complete before a heating engineer is booked. In many cases, the issue may be caused by low boiler pressure, no credit on a pre-payment meter, a tripped fuse, or the thermostat being set too low.
Tenants are responsible for completing the safe troubleshooting steps below and providing the required information when opening a maintenance task. This helps us arrange the correct engineer without unnecessary delays.
Important Gas Safety Notice
If you smell gas, suspect a gas leak, or suspect carbon monoxide, this is an emergency. Do not continue troubleshooting the boiler.
- Open doors and windows if it is safe to do so.
- Do not smoke or use naked flames.
- Do not touch electrical switches.
- Turn off the gas supply at the meter if you know how to do this safely.
- Leave the property if you feel unsafe.
- Call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999.
Before You Start
- Do not remove the boiler cover.
- Do not attempt any gas-related repair yourself.
- Do not open, adjust, or tamper with any internal boiler parts.
- Only carry out the basic external checks shown below.
- If you are unsure, stop and open a maintenance task.
Video Guides
The videos below may help you complete the basic checks safely.
Boiler Filling Loop / Pressure Guide
Step-by-Step Checks
1. Check your gas meter or pre-payment meter
If you have a pre-payment gas meter, please make sure there is enough credit on the meter. If there is no gas supply or the meter has run out of credit, the boiler may not work.
2. Check there is power to the boiler
Check whether the boiler display or light is on. If there is no light or display, the boiler may not be receiving power.
Check the boiler switch, nearby fused spur, plug socket, and the electrical consumer unit/trip board. If a switch has tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, do not keep resetting it and open a maintenance task.
How to check the trip board
3. Check the thermostat
Check the wall thermostat and make sure it is set high enough. If the thermostat is set lower than the room temperature, the heating may not come on.
Turn the thermostat up and wait a few minutes to see whether the boiler starts. If the thermostat has batteries, check whether the batteries need replacing.
4. Check the boiler pressure
Check the pressure gauge on the boiler. On many boilers, the pressure should usually be around 1 to 1.5 bar when the heating is off and the system is cold. If the pressure is too low, the boiler may stop working.
Please take a clear photo of the boiler pressure gauge before adjusting anything.
5. If the boiler has no visible filling loop
Some boilers do not have a standard external filling loop. If you are not sure how to increase the pressure safely, do not force anything. Please watch the guide below and only continue if you are confident that the video matches your boiler type.
6. If the boiler has a filling loop valve
Some boilers have a filling loop with two small valves underneath the boiler. If the pressure is low and you are confident how to use the filling loop, slowly open both valves and allow the pressure to rise.
Once the pressure reaches the correct range, close both valves fully. Do not over-pressurise the boiler.
7. Reset the boiler if required
Some boilers may need to be reset after the pressure has been corrected or after the power has been restored. Please follow the instructions on the boiler display or user manual.
Do not repeatedly reset the boiler if the fault keeps returning. If the same error comes back, open a maintenance task.
Photos and Information Required
If the boiler is still not working after completing the checks above, please open a maintenance task in the system. To help us book the correct heating engineer without delays, please upload:
- A photo of the boiler
- A photo of the boiler make and model
- A photo of the boiler pressure gauge before adjustment
- A photo of the boiler pressure gauge after adjustment, if you attempted to top up the pressure
- A photo or video of any error code shown on the boiler display
- A photo of the thermostat setting
- Confirmation that the gas meter or pre-payment meter has credit
- Confirmation that the boiler has power
- Confirmation that the thermostat has been checked
- Confirmation that the boiler pressure has been checked
When to Report the Issue
If you have completed the safe troubleshooting steps and the boiler still has no hot water or heating, please open a maintenance task. We can then review the information and arrange a heating engineer where required.
Please note that an engineer cannot usually be booked until the basic troubleshooting has been completed and the required information has been provided. This avoids unnecessary call-outs and helps prevent delays.
Possible Contractor Charges
If a contractor attends and the issue is found to have been caused by no credit on a pre-payment meter, the thermostat being set incorrectly, the boiler being switched off, or the pressure being low due to tenant use where simple topping-up was required, the call-out charge may be recharged to the tenant.
If the boiler has a genuine mechanical, electrical, or gas-related fault not caused by tenant use, the landlord will normally be responsible for arranging the repair.
